WELCOME, this is the public author LiveJournal of Katy-Rose Hötker, an aspiring YA Speculative Fiction writer from Perth, Western Australia. If you'd like to keep track of my journey and progress, please feel free to 'friend' this site!

To follow up on my previous blog regarding Flash Fiction, I wanted to announce that I have finished and submitted four Flash Fics for consideration! It feels good to have completed and sent off my little labours of love into the big wide world. So begins the ‘Waiting Game’, that dreaded expanse of time that must inevitably pass before you hear back from the publisher. It’s so easy to sit around checking your email constantly, wondering Will I be accepted? or Will I be rejected?

Truth of the matter is, it’s going to be one outcome or the other when it comes to short fiction. There’s no second chances. The publisher either sees immediate potential, or you’re heaped in with the Slush Pile. My point? Don’t sit around waiting for that golden ticket! Keep busy! Keep writing! Channel that nervous excitement and anticipation into something productive. The more stories you churn out, the better your chances of being published.

Myself? I’m returning to work on Angel of Retribution, one of my short stories. During this time my wonderful beta reader is reading over my other short story, Wild Fire! I’m hoping to have Angel of Retribution completed by the time I hear back from my beta, so that I can then forge on ahead with any edits Wild Fire may need before I send it off for consideration.

With my beautiful baby due in just 11 weeks now, I’m really pushing myself and my boundaries. I don’t want to be one of those writer’s who never made because “life got in the way”. I’m making time. I’m making hay while the sun shines! I imagine once baby arrives life is going to be pretty hectic and I’m going to experience a bit of upheaval and a certain adjustment period before we fall into some semblance of a routine… So in the words of Jon Bon Jovi “It’s now or never.”

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.

Flash fiction seems an increasingly popular market, I’m seeing anthologies pop up everywhere at the moment, and I understand why! I’ve often wondered why there were no viable options for the truly busy reader. The mother with a handful of children, juggling daily chores and rushing the kids to and from school. The city commuter, standing awkwardly on the train or sitting on the bus for fifteen minutes every morning and evening on the way to work. Certainly every man, woman and child in between, too. These readers are longing for something to read when they have a spare moment. Some short, ‘flash’ fantasy, thriller or romance… Simply a good tale to lose themselves in! These are paying customers wanting to part with their hard earned dollars for a few minutes of abandon.

Seeing this as a blossoming market, I’ve invested some time in writing a few flash fiction tales, myself. I’ve finished three of them just this weekend and have submitted one to an anthology for consideration earlier this morning! I’m feeling excited already, wondering if this is the piece that will see me published. Either way, I’m growing my craft and honing my writing skills again, which will have made the effort worth the while. The other two short tales I’ve written are ready for submission also, but I’ve sent a query to the publisher I’d like to submit to, and am waiting to receive a reply from them before I commit.

The publishing world is like a ballroom and those within it, the dancers, know their steps. You can’t afford to put a foot wrong, lest the people within that glass dome notice and brand you for your lack of professionalism. It never hurts to send an enquiry if it is permitted, if you are unclear about submission guidelines. You don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot, and alienate a potential publisher by giving them exactly what they didn’t want! If all else fails, fall back on the old adage, ‘Better safe than sorry’.

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.

Fantastic news! My favourite Australian fantasy artist Selina Fenech has launched her first ever graphic novel! Welcome to the world of writing, Selina! Her fabulous looking book entitled Memory's Wake is a Young Adult novel set in both the real world and a fantastical and magical alternate Victorian faery realm! To celebrate the release, Selina has an amazing competition running and the prizes are to die for!

Australians and fans internationally can purchase signed and dedicated copies of her trade paperback directly from her books website, Memory's Wake for a limited time only release price of $14.95 AUD/USD! Or you can purchase it through her fantasy art store, Fairies & Fantasy!

Curious? What are you waiting for? Read the blurb to Memory's Wake below and then head on over and support Selina! She is a wonderful person and a truly talented artist and writer! I cannot speak highly enough of her.

When a modern teen with a violent past is lost in a dark Victorian fairyland, she’ll do anything to find her way home. Unfortunately, she doesn’t even know where that is. Or who she is. Her memories have been magically stolen. The first person she meets gives the out-of-place amnesiac a name; Memory.

Haunted by an unknown past and hunted in a world where fairytales come true, the girl in t-shirt and torn jeans feels like an ugly duckling, inside and out. She fights to get her unknown past and family back, even at the cost of growing friendships and romances. Demons both internal and external must be overcome to discover where she belongs, who she was, and who she wants to be.

There are five, yes, five major prizes to be won as well as consolation prizes and .99c eBook coupons available! The major prizes include original sketches from the Memory’s Wake, signed hard cover copies of her book, printed shoulder bags, multi-purpose silk pouches, mousepads, bookmarks, bookplates, glossy posters of various illustrations as well as the official cover art!

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.

Work on my primary Work In Progress has been going exceptionally well. I’m feeling inspired and overall, very positive about my journey towards eventual publication. Not only did I write the equivalent of two days worth of words today, but I also discovered that a few of my earlier works of fiction still hold some promise! I was taking a small break from writing this evening, visiting various publishers websites as well as online literary journals, when I was prompted to look over my short stories and see if any of them were salvageable… So far I have plucked two from the proverbial Slush Pile and am currently re-reading and editing them!

Even if nothing comes of this effort, I’m going to feel good about completing and submitting something. That’s an achievement! As long as I keep trying, keep puting the effort in, I will one day succeed. One of my favourite quotes in relation to writing, is simply:

“There’s a word for a writer who never gives up… Published.”

It’s to the point and true! Some writers ‘make it big’. They land that coveted contract with their first submission, as if they were born with fairytale good luck! Other writers take longer, working their way towards publication and raising their credentials as time wears on.

Neither writer is any more valid than the other. We all start and end our journeys differently. What’s most important is that as writers, we follow our dreams and never give up! There is always hope.

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.

I have some exciting news to share, tonight! I’d like to congratulate my oldest friend, Ashlee Scheuerman on becoming a newly published writer! Her short horror story Harvest will be appearing in Dark Prints Press‘s anthology Surviving The End, due for publication in 2012! If you visit her website, you’ll find links to her Facebook profile as well her other endeavours.

Bringing the news closer to home, I’m pleased to say that my writing, whilst slow and steady, is definitely progressing! I have been working on my newest story idea for the past three days now, and finished it tonight! It’s such a good feeling to have achieved some measure of success again, no matter how seemingly small. My characters are just racing through their story and I’m having to run to keep up with them… I’m ready to throw myself into Chapter One!

Please remember if you want to keep up with me and share in my smaller, more frequent updates, you can become my friend on Facebook or follow me on Twitter!

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.

It’s been a while since my last update, hasn’t it? It seems the phrase “Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.” rings true for me. A lot has happened in my life since last November. My husband and I discovered that I’d successfully fallen pregnant in February and by the beginning of April I’d had to resign from my work as a Child Carer. My health has been up and down like a yoyo and I’ve been passing the time since then creating gemstone jewellery for my online store, Faery Allure.

For quite a while now, I’ve been feeling the ‘writing bug’ niggling at me. The muses have been whispering and tempting me to the written word once more. I’ve so many tales that are started, but none yet that are finished. I’m being terribly indecisive and can’t choose a story I’d like to fully commit to and nurture beyond the stages of infancy. A part of me feels that I should be much further down the path of this journey already than I am, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my hiatus, it’s that you can’t force creativity!

I think I’m going to just read through some of my ideas and see which one, if any, calls out to me. I have the tinder, I have the spark … I need only wait patiently for the flame to kindle and burst into life!

Before you venture off, please feel free to visit and ‘like’ me over at my newly opened Facebook Fan Page.

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.

As it eventuates my short story The Druid's Daughter that I submitted to the 'More Scary Kisses' Anthology was rejected. I feel completely fine with it, in fact, I'm rather proud. Every author needs that first rejection afterall! It's almost like a badge of honour, proof of your first foray into the wilderness of publishing. My beautiful husband eloquently reminded me, failure is merely proof that you're trying, which is the most crucial part.

I've never been one of those individuals who believe "It's the journey, not the destination", because I do vehemently believe the destination is important. I write for love of my craft, but what point is there in writing stories if not to see them shared and enjoyed by a vast audience? I can definitely appreciate the path I must travel, but I am headed to a very specific destination and that is Publication!

I have continued tweaking and rewriting The Druid's Daughter in the hopes that I might find another publisher or anthology to submit it to. It is a beautiful short and I'd hate to see it gathering dust on my hard drive! I am also simultaneously working on my Australian vampire short story Wild Fire for submission to Ticonderoga Publications anthology 'The Dead Red Heart'. I have just twenty-four days to have it completed.

After my first rejection from this publishing house, I'll admit, I'm a little nervous about submitting to them again so soon... but I've really enjoyed writing my submission for it and want to send it in either way. Worst case scenario? I'm rejected again. Big deal! There are 'plenty more fish in the sea' as the old saying goes.

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.

Today marks what I consider to be the first true step down the path of my writing career. I sent off my first ever piece of work to a publisher for consideration! I am brimming with nervous excitement and happiness. I'm pretty sure that no matter the outcome, this will always be one of the greatest days of my life! It almost feels as if all the time that has passed previously was spent merely dreaming. Now that dream has been released into the world from it's safe cocoon. It's grown wings and has taken flight. Hopefully someone else will think of it as beautiful and unique, too.

Already it seems as though my first labour of love being sent out into the world has a story behind it! At 4.15pm this afternoon when I went to submit my story, the submissions form at the publisher's website gave me an error. It told me that I had previously submitted and that if my submission required any alterations that I contact them directly. I was 99% certain that I hadn't sent anything in before, so I contacted the publisher as advised. The publisher and editor of Ticonderoga Publications, Russell B. Farr responded, apologising for the technical error and telling me that he would foward my short story manuscript onto the 'More Scary Kisses' paranormal romance anthology editor, Liz Grzyb. Minutes later, Liz contact me to let me know she'd be in touch as soon as she had considered my submission!

I am so proud of myself and exceptionally eager to hear back. All I can think of right now? The fact that I feel as if I'm dancing on air!

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.

I dearly love the art of storytelling. There is something deeply satisfying and thrilling about developing a tale from scratch, especially one that is born of a whim, with no forethought or planning. To be whisked away with your characters as their adventure unfolds, not knowing yourself, what will happen next! Wild Fire is practically writing itself. My heroine is modern, grounded, yet prone to flights of fancy and my antihero is a breed of charming that can only be born of olde world valour and a noble society upbringing.

I'm practically swooning over my own creations! It's a strange feeling... one that I honestly haven't felt with this much intensity for at least a few years. It sounds ludicrous to say, but it seemed to me, for a time, that that kind of passion was lost to my childhood and teenage fantasies. Growing up, maturing and living in an adult world partially crippled my dreams. I felt as if I had been broken as the harsh realities of life took precedence over my girlish whims.

But now that passion is back, and with a vengeance! Tonight I wrote another 400+ words, and am feeling most accomplished. Not only have I been editing as I've been going, but I have also rewritten a few integral scenes to give the story a faster pace and more potency. For now, however, I am puting Wild Fire to bed, and getting some much needed rest, myself! Later in the morning I will be working on a new short story, for submission to August Moon Publishing House's short story competition! I have half the time to work on this, as Wild Fire, so I must not delay!

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you again soon.